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"We have received five reports of theft from a vehicle in and around Retford on the night of September 22, eight others in East Bassetlaw between September 20 and 26 and we understand that there are others which have not been reported.

"We are also investigating criminal damage to vehicles and attempted thefts too."

The force said there are 16 crimes linked to the spree and that there appears to be an upturn in vehicle break-ins whenever there is an increase in diesel thefts from vehicles parked next to the A1 near Retford.

Angie Dexter, who runs Retford Bouncy Castle Hire with her husband, became one of the victims on September 22.

"My husband got in the van to go to work at 7.30am and noticed the contents of our glove box and other compartments were in disarray," she said.

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"At first he assumed I’d been looking for something, but he gradually realised something wasn’t right. He realised £45 was missing that he'd tucked away in his sun visor. And a few pounds was missing in the doorway that he keeps for car parks etc.

"He quickly ran in to alert me, and our first fear was our business. Our entire collection of units was in the van. My heart was in my mouth but by a stroke of luck not one was taken, not even a blower.

"We assumed they were too heavy to take. We informed the police and gradually we realised through social media that there was a number of targets that night all at a similar time, early hours of the morning."

Thanks to security camera footage, Angie saw exactly how the crooks managed to get in.

"My toddler son had unplugged our CCTV but luckily two of our neighbours had captured them," he said.